Book Summaries
Brief summaries of non-fiction books I’ve read recently, mostly not tech-related.
Marriage, a History by Stephanie Coontz
The love marriage is a relatively recent cultural invention dating only to the Industrial Revolution.
The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State by Noah Feldman
Today’s Muslim-majority countries lack the political checks and balances that made the classical Islamic states so successful.
No One at the Wheel by Samuel Schwartz
Autonomous vehicles are poised to improve car culture, but we need a solution for the traffic they will bring.
Fool Proof by Tess Wilkinson-Ryan
The fear of being a sucker is a powerful but rarely-articulated fear that significantly shapes the social order.
Happy Singlehood by Elyakim Kislev
Unmarried and solo living are on the rise, but this is not a bad trend.
The Fate of Food by Amanda Little
Population growth and climate change are threatening the world’s food security, but human ingenuity is rising to the challenge.
10% Less Democracy by Garett Jones
Anything is dangerous in excess, and this includes excess democracy.
The Power of Regret by Daniel H. Pink
Regret doesn’t feel good, but it offers a useful view into what matters most in life.
Of Boys and Men by Richard V. Reeves
Feminism has drastically expanded our culture’s idea of womanhood. Manhood now needs a similar transformation.
More From Less by Andrew McAfee
For the first time in history, GDP growth has become uncoupled from our exploitation of the environment.
One and Only by Lauren Sandler
Single-child families are unfairly maligned. Having one child is a valid lifestyle choice with positive statistical outcomes.
Evolution Gone Wrong by Alex Bezzerides
Bipedalism and big brains have left the human body uniquely fragile.
Rule Makers, Rule Breakers by Michele Gelfand
One of the most foundational traits of a culture is how tight or loose it is with its rules.
Sugar by James Walvin
In just a few centuries, sugar went from a luxury spice to a staple necessity and then to a public health pariah.
The Myths of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky
People are bad at predicting the things that will bring them happiness in the future.
Smart People Should Build Things by Andrew Yang
How can we help ensure that America’s top graduates go to value-creating and growth-producing industries rather than to Wall Street?
The Longevity Economy by Joseph Coughlin
The Baby Boomer generation is poised to defy and rewrite society’s old narrative of old age.
The Way We Never Were by Stephanie Coontz
There was never a past golden age of “family values,” nor is the institution of the family collapsing.
The Story of Earth by Robert Hazen
Earth is a notable world not only because of life, but also because of how often its surface has been reshaped and remade.
The Great Convergence by Richard Baldwin
The first wave of globalization increased inequality. The current new wave of globalization is reducing it.
Exercised by Daniel Lieberman
Physical exercise is a strange and unnatural behavior, but modern lifestyles make it essential.
The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley
Humanity’s prosperity is thanks to the rise of specialization, exchange, and interdependence, all of which are still growing today.
Apocalypse Never by Michael Shellenberger
By increasingly walling off the human world from the natural world, humanity is helping to ensure the natural world’s survival.
Pale Rider by Laura Spinney
A severe disease, a globalizing war-torn world, a crowded and impoverished society, and a weak medical response all combined to make the Spanish Flu a perfect storm.
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
Human psychology compels us to make irrational economic choices and to make the same mistakes repeatedly.
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
If making correct judgments about strangers is such an important life skill, why are we so bad at it?
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Success does not happen in isolation - it requires a favorable upbringing, access to opportunity, and good old-fashioned effort.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Excellence comes from strong character, principle-centered living, and entrenched habits, not from superficial tricks and life hacks.
Quiet by Susan Cain
Modern western culture overwhelmingly favors extroversion over introversion, leaving introverts misunderstood and underappreciated.
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley
In contrast to media portrayal and public belief, most of America’s wealthy people live surprisingly mundane and ordinary lives.
The Boom by Russell Gold
In merely a decade, the rise of fracking has profoundly transformed the American energy landscape.
i-Minds by Mari Swingle
The internet is putting many of our brains into a state of chronic over-arousal. What does this mean for our collective mental health?
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
After millennia of struggle, humanity has finally solved the problems of famine, plague, and war. What’s next on the agenda?
Cheating Lessons by James Lang
Academic cheating remains widespread in spite of harsh punishments and patronizing ethics lectures. How can we change the incentive structure?
Willpower by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney
Willpower - humanity’s most powerful trait - is notoriously scarce and fickle. What are the best ways to use it and grow it?
How Children Succeed by Paul Tough
Schools are preoccupied with cognitive skills. Emotional and character skills are stronger determinants of success, and better yet, they are trainable.
The Gig Economy by Diane Mulcahy
The death of the stable corporate job? Or the beginning of a new era of customized careers and flexible lifestyles?
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
Be curious about everything, even if it first seems useless or irrelevant.
Factfulness by Hans Rosling
Far from being a hopeless basket-case, the “developing” world is experiencing an awakening unprecedented in human history.
Too Much of a Good Thing by Lee Goldman
Evolutionary adaptations that saved our hunter-gatherer ancestors have backfired in modern times and are killing us instead.
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Popular nutrition is needlessly complicated and often misleading. All mainstream diet advice boils down to, “Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.”
Peak by Anders Ericcson and Robert Pool
Want to be a world-class expert at something? Start early and make sure your training is efficient and deliberate.
Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
Thanks to the rise of science and humanism, the world is improving at a relentless pace.
Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber
Many jobs are useless or inefficient, but this doesn’t guarantee that economic pressures will weed them out.
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Want to seize and hold onto political power? Be ruthless, occasionally be generous, and always be decisive.
Happy City by Charles Montgomery
Suburban sprawl has created a world that is luxurious but miserable. How can urban planning optimize for happiness?
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Civilization is both humanity’s greatest triumph and its greatest mistake.
Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark
Artificial intelligence is rapidly improving. How do we prepare for exponential economic growth, worker obsolescence, and replacement of existing political power structures?